2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Building a Transdisciplinary Science Workforce to Meet Contemporary Health Challenges

As human and environmental health challenges -- and their resolution -- increasingly transcend geographic and scientific boundaries, the need for scientists who can operate in multidisciplinary, multinational, and multi-sector scientific partnerships is growing. Despite this growing demand, the way in which we train and support scientists often fails to reflect the collaborative and heterogeneous environment in which the world’s most pressing health challenges must be resolved. This symposium focuses on an often unacknowledged skill and resource gap: how to effectively translate research into outcomes that improve human or environmental health. Speakers provide contemporary examples of how their institutions are adopting innovative multidisciplinary training and platforms, with the goal of building a new cadre of scientists. Perspectives and provocative proposals highlighting the many unmet needs and unfulfilled opportunities are shared. With views from within and outside of the U.S., from public and private sector scientists, and from the human and environmental health arenas, this session provides a diversity of viewpoints on what is needed to enhance the efficiency and efficacy in tackling current human and environmental health challenges.